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Tuesday, November 10, 2026Nov 10

The Latest: Colorado governor goes to see mine spill impact

New Mexico Environment Department District Manager Bob Italiano places bottles of water for testing on a table, Monday, Aug. 10, 2015, at San Juan County's Lee Acres Sheriff's substation in Farmington, N.M. Water laced with heavy metals, including lead and arsenic, reached the New Mexico municipalities of Aztec, Farmington and Kirtland over the weekend, following a wastewater spill at a Colorado mine. A crew supervised by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been blamed for causing the spill while trying to clean up the mine area. (Alexa Rogals/The Daily Times via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
New Mexico Environment Department District Manager Bob Italiano places bottles of water for testing on a table, Monday, Aug. 10, 2015, at San Juan County's Lee Acres Sheriff's substation in Farmington, N.M. Water laced with heavy metals, including lead and arsenic, reached the New Mexico municipalities of Aztec, Farmington and Kirtland over the weekend, following a wastewater spill at a Colorado mine. A crew supervised by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been blamed for causing the spill while trying to clean up the mine area. (Alexa Rogals/The Daily Times via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT New Mexico Environment Department District Manager Bob Italiano places bottles of water for testing on a table, Monday, Aug. 10, 2015, at San Juan County's Lee Acres Sheriff's substation in Farmington, N.M. Water laced with heavy metals, including lead and arsenic, reached the New Mexico municipalities of Aztec, Farmington and Kirtland over the weekend, following a wastewater spill at a Colorado mine. A crew supervised by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been blamed for causing the spill while trying to clean up the mine area. (Alexa Rogals/The Daily Times via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

DURANGO, Colo. (AP) – The latest in the Colorado mine spill (all times local):

9:53 a.m.

Colorado’s governor is visiting a stretch of river contaminated by yellow wastewater that spilled from an abandoned mine.

Gov. John Hickenlooper began his visit Tuesday with a tour of a fish hatchery in the southwestern city of Durango. Cages have been placed in the Animas River there to catch fish and measure any effects on them from the spill. So far, officials say they see no problems.

Hickenlooper issued a disaster declaration for the area Monday, releasing $500,000 to assist businesses and towns affected after a federal mine cleanup operation released millions of gallons of sludge containing heavy metals, including lead and arsenic.